The Elements
by Addster
Summary: Each is a pice of a bigger puzzle, like that of a thousand piece jigsaw. Drabbles; ideas welcome!
1. The Forest

**AN: I thought of these in the middle of math, kind of a weird subject to think up drabble ideas, but never expect any routine from inspiration. Anyway, hope you like and I'm open to ideas if you guys have any. Nothing too out there and nothing that's been done like a million times. Whatev, all are appreciated.**

**Disclaimer: I...wait, you know what these always say, why don't you all figure out the rest?**

What was a family is now a shell. One drinks and throws her money away. Another spends his days wandering the country and flirting with whores. And he sits in his hideout, staring at vile after vile of some specimen he collected over the years, wondering what the deformed creature used to be. His thin fingers intertwine amongst themselves like stringy vines in the tangle of nerves and muscles that is his body.

But this body is growing weak, his trees are dying and with them, the vines are beginning to shrivel. He looks down to his fingers and sees the tiny wrinkles bubbling to the surface.

It's almost time, not much longer now.

He leans back in his throne of sorts with a heavy breath escaping his lungs and strands of his hair falling in his face.

Orochimaru is his name, and he is the long forgotten son, pushed into evil by his twisted genius. The line between insanity and genius has long been crossed; he can no longer differentiate between the two. He's lost his direction and doesn't think he'll be able to find it.

He's gotten lost in his own dense forest.

The luscious green has died down into a sickly brown that coats him from head to toe, like the thick skin of a snake. He scratches and scratches, picks at the flaking pieces in a desperate attempt at freedom, longing for the once pulsating green. But his fingers can't dig deep enough, they're too weak; he can't roll through his motions like he used to, his trunk is rotting. The once strong and solid man is now a pitiful shell of what he used to be.

His better half lay shed on the ground around him, like the old rotten bark of a mighty oak.

He is the first to fade; he was already gone before his body started showing the signs. It doesn't matter how healthy the outside is, how powerful the roots are or the width of protective bark, if the center is rotten, nothing can stop the rot.

The whole forest goes down in smoke.

**I was a little depressed and was looking out my window when I wrote this one. It's not the best view and it gave me great inspiration, like depthness and stuff. But then I had some goldfish and they cheered me up! Anyway, once again, ideas for more drabbles are welcome, send me any and all! **

**PEACE :P**


	2. Earth

**AN: A bit of a natur-ie kind of trend going on here, and I'm really feeling it here. How are you guys liking them so far? I hope you are liking them.**

**Disclaimer: Nothing. I own nothing.**

He's weak; a worthless coward. He'd never be anything. He knew that from an early age just by standing next to his brother and sister in arms. One was a genius seen only once in a lifetime, his prowess like that of a practiced master. She was born with good genes, beautiful and deadly.

And he was just…stuck with them.

Maybe fate got a kick of pairing up geniuses with losers; it must make good T.V up there. But after years of practice and discipline, he was on par with them.

Or so he thought.

It only took a few near death experiences for him to realize he stuck out, that he didn't belong with the pedigrees. He was brazen and audacious, while the others were like tempered glass, finely crafted and beautiful.

She was a diamond.

His brother was a ruby.

And he was a rock.

Everything he did never matched up to the other's attempts, always resorting to playing the fool. He didn't belong mounted on some extravagant golden mount or white gold ring on someone's' pretty little finger. He belonged in some desert like the landmark he was, helping those lost find their way.

And like the rock he was, he was vulnerable to the elements.

The wind whipped at his face, turning it leathery and wrinkled. Rain pounded down on his back, taking bits and pieces with it, stealing his once tone muscles and leaving soft bags of meat. No longer could he pride himself in the only thing he could, his strength was fading. His once boulder-like presence was dissipating to that of a pebble.

Now he was soft and smooth, his edges were gone and he was no longer rough as he was. Now he had to be gently because that was all he could do well. He was once a feared and powerful warrior, now he was famous for writing smut and an infamous peeping tom.

Ridiculous.

He's weak; a worthless coward. He knew he'd never be anything special. And you know what?

He was right.

**That wasn't meant to be a Jiraiya bash! I love that guy to death and I just realized that's what it sounds like *gasp*! But I hope it was still readable and you all liked, review if you did and if you didn't too, no need to censor, I love all of my reviewers. **

**PEACE :P**


	3. Ripples

**AN: Thought of this one while I was taking a shower. I got this new shampoo that smells like awesome. There are no words to describe.**

**Disclaimer: i don't own anything**

She sat in the hot water, the flesh of her butt coming into contact with the etched stone blow the water, the makeshift seat. She was alone (and grateful for it) and stark naked, letting the steam rise into her nostrils.

Purifying.

But not for her. Yes, it soothed the aches and pains, unlocked the tight muscles and washed away some dirt, but didn't go much deeper. She needed acid to wash away her lingering pains. The ones that dwelled deep inside of her, like stones being thrown down a deep dark well, clattering their way down until they reached some dank and desolate pit.

The blood haunted her the most.

She'd nearly rip the knob of the faucet off when she washed her hands, scrubbing and scrubbing until she broke the skin. She would get the water as hot as she could, nearly to the point of boiling. And if that didn't work, she would dive head first into a waterfall, standing right below the heavy downpour and letting it pound away at her edges and corners, smoothing her back to the soft, svelte vixen she was. She was absolutely terrified of going without the water, there wasn't a day that passed during the last twenty odd years that she didn't miss a bath.

They would be long and hot, always scorching. She would subject herself to the torture, vainly trying to rid herself of the grime of her youth, of the blood.

The blood.

The blood.

The blood.

She jumped out of the water, a stream of it following her frame as she sprinted from the bath. Standing on the lip of the stone crater that was the bath, she looked down at the rippling water. Her reflection was fragmented, pieces parts were misaligned and the evening light was waning, casting shadows and distorting images. It was her, cruelly disfigured and mocking in her gaze.

As she stared, the beads of water trickled down her entire body, some speeding down her thighs and others travelling through the cavern between her breasts. Her ivory skin was red in places from the heat, and strands of her hair were matted to her face.

The water settled, and she saw her face once again.

Unblemished, untouched, and just a bit panicked, but otherwise gorgeous as always.

**Another one in the books. Sweet, already at three, it's just downhill from here. Before you know it, this'll have like eighty and I'll be all like, AHHHHH! SUPERSTAR! If you have any ideas for me, please feel free to send them on over via review or PM, I'm always looking for excellent ideas! **

**PEACE :P**


	4. Decrepit Daddy Long Legs

**AN: Woe is me, my sad little self writing these deep emotional, gooey things. They're actually a lot of fun, they don't require much thought and they take little time! It's like a Hot Pocket, but digitized! Doesn't that just blow your mind?**

**Disclaimer: nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing. NOTHING.**

He never thought it would come to this. He was alone, his wife was long dead, and his _children_ had long since left the nest.

And being the old man he was, that made him a bit crotchety. Sitting at his big mahogany desk, taking small puffs from his pipe and reading reports from fresh from the Academy gennin and five-foot chunnin occupied most of his day. Weeks would pass like a blur, he would loose track of time and before he knew it, he was old.

Old and tired.

The old warrior looked out his window, his eyes (not what they used to be, another of his senses that had started to go) seeing every inch of his village. His eyes traveled to the playground of the Academy and he felt himself getting winded just watching the children play. The pure delight on their faces was making the strings of his heart tug and pull on the weary muscle. The old man turned away from the delightful sight.

He had to catch his breath. He can't even remember the last time he had breathed that hard.

Lord Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Saru. Many names had been placed upon his head over the copious years of his life, but he never thought sensei would be one of them. He can remember the first time he had been called by that name. It had been almost forty years ago, but he could remember it like it was yesterday.

It was the little blonde babe, her sparkling brown eyes that looked just like her grandfather's, and that fiery little temper she carried around was that of her grandmother. She was staring up at him (he couldn't forget how small they were when he first met them) and he kneeled down to meet her eyes.

"So you're sensei." She announced, words frothing with expectation like he was some dog ready to do flips for her. He remembers the strained smile he plastered to his face, and the numerous curses running through his mind as he thought of his goofy sensei filling out the gennin teams.

Sarutobi, from that day forward, became more than a teacher to the three children he was given.

He became their father.

The pale little genius had long buried his parents, the pervy little white haired one had no recollection of his, and the precious blonde girl barely saw her father, if any at all.

Years had floated past each of them, his children growing strong and raising names for themselves, the Sannin they called them. How proud Sarutobi was, he was beaming, and everyday you could see him carrying himself high, his chest stuck out like he was something.

But nothing would prepare him for their rebellion.

His prodigy was the first to go, taking with him his father's hope for the future.

His perv was next, ashamed and worn. He took with him his father's humor.

And finally, his girl turned tail, the most beloved of them all, had run off with her father's heart.

Now the old man sits in his chair, day in and day out, gazing at old pictures of the family he once had, remembering the bonds he'd formed and the years he had spent picking up the pieces.

The father sits and mourns.

**O.M.G like, four already! Yosh, my hot youthful readers! THE LOTUS BURNS BURNS BRIGHT WITHIN ALL OF YOU! I'm already working on the fifth one, so no need to fret, awesomeness is on the way.**

**PEACE :P**


	5. Mother Bear

**AN: I was re-watching some episodes of Naruto the other day when I came to the Sauce-gay retrieval arc and I was like, 'Sasuke's a dick!' And then I watched the episode where Kakashi brought Naruto back and Shizune's all like, 'Lady Tsunade! Naruto's back but Sasuke's not...' And the weird way my brain works, I was like, 'INSPIRATION!' I saw Tsunade running down the halls cursing people out who got in her way and pushing sick people aside so she could get to Naruto. And BWAHM! Chapter 5, home-dog.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any-thing! (I sang it for you...if that makes it better)**

Her entire body jumped when the heart monitor skipped a beat. She turned her head to the occupant of the bed, scanning over every inch of his beaten and bandaged body. The monitor beeped rapidly now, _beep-beep-beep,_ like a mantra of robotic birds. Her honey-brown eyes flitted back to the blonde in bed, small, dark circles underlining the glistening orbs that were his eyes.

"He's having a bad dream…" Tsunade whispered as she smoothed back some of Naruto's hair. His forehead was soaked in a cold sweat and the tips of his cheeks were tinged in a light blush. Tsunade bit back the hot tears stinging the edges of her eyes as she cupped Naruto's burning cheek.

She remembers running down the halls of the hospital, searching each and every room until she found the head of sun-kissed blonde lying unconscious on the gurney. She remembers swatting Shizune's hands away from the boy as she ran her own over his entire body, her mind not even bothering to hide the panic oozing from every pore. She remembers yelling at the other doctors and nurses who tried helping her, glaring daggers at anybody who came anywhere remotely near her boy.

And now she sat on the edge of his bed, biting her nails and fretting over every little groan and moan the boy let loose. He was in pain, that much was obvious. But what was getting Tsunade jittery was the emotional pain.

The twelve-year old, a child in Tsunade's eyes, had just lost the closest thing he had to a friend. And from the report Kakashi had given her, the little dick had left him on some cliff half dead and torn to ribbons.

Tsunade was more than livid, and she didn't mind letting it show. This boy, this boy she loved like her own child, was betrayed by some little power-hungry, emo brat, and Tsunade had to grind her teeth to keep the growl from escaping her throat.

"Naruto, Naruto, Naruto…" Tsunade cooed as she lowered her head until her lips touched his wet forehead. Tsunade closed her eyes as a tear fell from them and landed on Naruto's cheek. She wiped it away with her thumb and stared at him, frowning as her eyes travelled over the copious bandages covering his skin.

Anger was once again boiling in her stomach, rising like bile. Flashes of memories sped across her forehead as images of Orochimaru zoomed across the backs of her eyes. That misleading smile, those slick, sulfur-sweet words that wormed their way into your brain. And those eyes, those soul piercing, pride degrading animal-like orbs that drew you in and never let you go.

That Uchiha brat had the same eyes.

And Naruto was naïve, innocent, sweet, and lonely enough to fall into the trap.

"I'm sorry nobody was there to protect you…" Tsunade whispered as another set of tears flooded down her cheeks. She was furious at herself when she first heard the report of the Uchiha going rogue. She almost wanted to just let the kid go, let Orochimaru do what he wanted with the boy. But then she imagined what Naruto would holler at her.

She couldn't blame him; she did the same thing to Sarutobi when she first heard of Orochimaru's defection. She knew the blonde would only be just as belligerent. And her being the procrastinator she was, Tsunade avoided the headache and let him go.

God she was stupid.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you." She cooed, still habitually smoothing back his hair. Another skip of the heart monitor and Tsunade was sweating bullets.

"Baa-chan…" Naruto croaked as he slowly opened his eyes to meet her honey-brown. Tsunade took a sharp breath and lowered herself to him.

"Hey, hun…" She smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"How are you feeling?" He groaned a bit as he turned on his side to face her better. Her hands were instantly on him, cradling his head.

"Been better…hey, where's Sasuke?" Tsunade closed her mouth and set her jaw into a hard line. Naruto's cerulean orbs watched her turn away in shame as her eyes diverted from his gaze.

"Baa-chan? Where-?"

"He's gone, Naruto…" Tsunade whispered flatly. The boy laid there, eyes watery as he looked at the woman he saw as a mother, pity and anger painted on her gorgeous face. Naruto didn't say anything as he returned to his pillow.

"Okay…" Naruto breathed, eyes focused on Tsunade's knee. Tsunade herself was feeling more tears sting her eyes and she just couldn't stand it. Her boy wasn't allowed to be sad.

It just wasn't right.

Tsunade rubbed circles on his back, wide, soft circles she remembers her mother doing to her when she would get upset. Under her hand, she felt a sudden shudder, and then a hiccup. Tsunade looked down on Naruto and held her breath.

Naruto was crying, sobbing silently to himself as he gripped Tsunade's pant leg tightly in his hand. Her hand left his back and moved to his hand. She dug her fingers into his, freeing her pant leg and holding his hand as she lay in bed next to him. With one hand holding his, Tsunade's other hand brought the blonde boy's head closer into her embrace, laying his head on her chest.

"It's gonna be okay…just let it out. I'm right here, I won't leave you, I promise…" Tsunade whispered into Naruto's hair and held him closer as the sobs rocked his body, each one stronger than the last. Tsunade cried with him, holding him tight and trying to keep her pain hidden. She wasn't allowed to let her boy get hurt, she wasn't allowed to let others inflict pain on him. She would kill them if she had to. Her boy wasn't allowed to hurt:

It just wasn't right.

**IT'S JUST NOT RIGHT! Naruto's not allowed to be sad TT... it makes me sad. And hell yeah for Tsunade gettin all, 'MOVE BITCH!' when she swats Shizune away, that was fun to write.**

**Review please, I like those!**

**PEACE :P**


	6. Gusts of the same Wind

**AN: Hi! I got the idea for this one from a suggestion from Soraya the All Speaker: Sarutobi asks Tsunade to spend the day with Naruto. I ended up warping it a bit, but I guess the end result matches up, but a small amount of inference is needed to figure out the main plot. Whatever, just read...**

**Disclaimer: la, la, la, don't own anything, la, la, la**

She sat in her teacher's office, legs crossed like a little lady and her heel dangling from her foot. She was quiet as she waited for him to finish his paperwork, twiddling a bang of her hair and applying some lipstick.

"It has certainly been a while, Tsunade…" The old man smiled as he laid his pen down on the mahogany desk and focused his eyes on her. His crow's feet were dominating his face and the parenthesis around his mouth seemed to be separating his face. Tsunade stared at her sensei for some time before she answered; he looked so much older, like decades had passed instead of just six quick years.

"That it has, Sarutobi sensei." She smiled back politely, remembering her manners.

"Everything's changed so much in the six years I've been away. The village seems brighter than ever." Tsunade breathed faux enthusiasm.

"There's no need for such civility, princess. You've just returned from a long journey, relax, unwind, curse for heaven's sake." Sarutobi laughed as he leaned back in his chair and looked his only female student over. It was a miracle, well he wasn't naïve enough to fall for her tricks, but it looked like she hadn't aged a day over twenty.

"I just thought, what the hell? I've spent enough damn time wandering all over, I might as well just come home…" Tsunade announced with finality as she started lightly chewing on her fingernail.

"That's good to hear, my dear. Have you seen anyone you remember?" She was about to tell him no, but stopped when she remembered running into someone at the market.

"There was this one little boy…he struck me so odd." Sarutobi visibly stiffened, almost immediately knowing whom his student was talking about.

"He was this tiny little boy, couldn't have been older than five or six…and he had this shock of blonde hair and these beautiful blue eyes. I almost knocked him over, he was darting through the market so fast I barely saw him sprint past me." Tsunade's eyes lit up at the memory of the child streaking past her like lightning, leaving her long coat to fly in his wind.

"That was Naruto…" Sarutobi breathed, his eyes meeting Tsunade's. Her brown were frozen, like a deer's when they get caught in the headlights of a truck. Her back was straight and her mouth was nearing gaping, the poor woman looked about to faint.

"My Naruto…?" She could barely breath it out; the words seemed to stick in her throat like a thick fog. The only thing her teacher did was nod, the faintest of grins tugging at his lips.

"But I thought…he-."

"There was a mix up that night…what with the hospital getting hit and all the chaos. I myself didn't find out until about a month ago, that's why I sent for you…" The old man stated calmly, weary eyes watching the blonde's every move, waiting for her revolt.

"Where is he now?"

"He should be at school."

"Should be?"

"He's well known for not having the best attendance…"

"And why is that?" Sarutobi was quiet after his student's last piercing question.

"He's a lot like you…he constantly has to be in motion, he gets bored in class and skips so he can go run around." Tsunade looked a bit outraged, she redirected her eyes away from her teacher.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." His office was dimly lit, but Sarutobi could see the blush tinting her ivory cheeks. The two were quiet, Sarutobi still watching Tsunade while she quietly sat with eyes watching her feet, absorbing all of this information.

"Would you like to spend the day with him?" Her head snapped up faster than he had ever seen her move and her eyes were on him like white on rice.

"Yes-I mean, I would love to."

"Well you'd better hurry, class just let out." Sarutobi cocked his head over to the wall of windows behind him, directing her gaze towards the courtyard of the Academy where the children filed out like cockroaches.

When he looked back, she was already gone.

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

"Move it blondie!" The class bully grunted as he shoved the smaller boy out of his way, said child tumbling to the ground.

"Hey!" The six year old shouted back, indignant anger rolling off him in waves as his bright blue eyes glared daggers at the much bigger boy.

"You say something, stupid? Couldn't hear you over the wind, squeaky!" Six year-old bully tactics, it needed work.

The little blonde sat in the dirt, eyes still angry but courage quickly evaporating in the shadow of the big bully.

"Don't push me around! One day you're gonna have ta respect me when I'm Hokage!" He roared like a little lion and got to his feet, puffing out his chest in front of the bully who stood a good three inches taller.

"Hokage?" The kid sniggered in disbelief and had to hold the tears that were threatening to burst from his eyes.

"You think you're gonna be Hokage? No stupid blonde can ever be Hokage cept' the fourth, but you'll never be that awesome!" His groupies around him pointed and laughed at the small boy, slapping fives and keeping their tails between their legs around the big one in the middle. His anger rising with each finger aimed his way and every laugh; the small boy opened his mouth again.

"You got a problem with blondes, fat kid?" A sharp voice from behind the group of kids prodded. The fat kid in question turned around, anger on his face.

"Who're you callin' fat?" When his eyes met the source of the voice, he stopped. Like literally, he might have even stopped his heart from beating.

Before him stood a gorgeous woman, a green coat draping around her and heels lifting her a good two or three inches off the ground. And her hair, her wild blonde hair was tied back into two silky pigtails with long bangs framing her youthful face, a set of honey-brown eyes glaring daggers at the kid.

"You, dough boy. What does your mom pack you for lunch? A small buffet of roasted pork?" Tsunade lowered herself to his eye level with a serious look stamping her face. The boy could only stammer out broken vowels and wispy syllables, never once forming a whole word.

"Just because we're blonde doesn't automatically make us dumb. I happen to be fluent in feudal Japanese and a skilled medical ninja. Not to mention I excel in taijutsu and have an I.Q higher than your daily calorie intake, fat-body." Tsunade pissed all over his corn flakes and then some, never leaving room for argument.

"So I suggest you think next time you open your mouth, you never know, we're chock full of surprises us blondes." She stood straight and walked past him, the boy's mouth still agape and his cronies blanching by the second. Tsunade sauntered over to her blonde babe on the ground, his eyes wide as he watched her get closer.

"You're Naruto, right? Are you okay?" Tsunade asked him gently as she squatted before him with a hand outstretched, a small smile tugging at her lips. Naruto kept staring at her; absolutely dumbfounded someone had stopped to help him.

"I-I'm okay. Thank you…" He didn't realize how hoarse his voice was, he sounded like he hadn't had a drink in days. He took her hand and rose with her, surprised how soft her hands were and how nice she smelled, like powdery flowers. Once he was back on his feet, he looked to the spot where the bullies were standing. They were gone now.

"I don't think you'll have to worry about them anymore…" She looked down on the six year-old who was wiping the dirt from his pants.

"What's your name?" Naruto asked, looking up and meeting his savior's eyes, the honey-brown orbs were dazzling in the sunlight. She smiled, a platinum grin, and answered with the wind blowing her hair.

"I'm Tsunade."

**Yay, another one! This chapter was inspired by a reader, you can give me ideas in reviews or PM's. I'm always looking for ideas, so if you have any, please shoot them my way!**

**PEACE :P**


	7. Ragged Red Ribbon

**AN: Gosh guys, it's been so long! But now that I've finished my big story BabyAgain, I can focus on my smaller stuff, like this one!**

**Disclaimer: naruto doesn't belong to me...yet**

It didn't go anywhere; it lay before her in a limp pile, just laying there, dead.

The ends were ragged and frilled, looking old and weary. It hung from her tired body, flailing in some nonexistent wind that would follow her for miles. It dragged across the ground, getting dirty and tangling the frazzled ends until it was just a shamble of what it used to be.

She hated looking at it; the thing was such an eyesore.

But only to her.

Others weren't aware of it; they passed her by like nothing was wrong, never looking twice. But she knew it was there, she would always know. It didn't go anywhere, it didn't attach to anything, it lead her to no one. It would tangle her up, trip her and snag her in its web of pain and irony. Violent red would sting her eyes every time she looked down to glare at it.

Her ragged red ribbon was nothing more than undone fiber, wafting detestably behind her with every step she took.

Away from that place.

Where the other ribbon dangled.

Alone.

Waiting for her to come back.

Where they could tie up loose ends.

And love.

Again.

But she wouldn't have it, she'd specifically told him no. And he'd listened, like the obedient dog he was.

He sat.

_Waiting._

For her to return to him.

He would wait the rest of his life.

His ragged red ribbon wafted behind him.

Forever mocking in its nonexistent wind.

He would tie it up again.

Once she came back to him.

_Never_.

But they'd both tell themselves it would happen, one day when they were older, it would happen, but they just didn't want it right now.

_Later._

When there was nothing left but scraggly red fibers

Marking the trail they'd taken.

_Separately._

_Alone._

_Forever._

They'd never admit it, but it made them sick.

Those damned red ribbons. They never made anyone happy, especially them. It was like a giant tease of what could have been, and it makes them physically ill.

Now they stand side by side, both red ribbons dangling by their feet, inching ever so slowly towards the other, ragged red fibers tangling into the other.

_Knotting._

_Strengthening._

_Bonding._

And that's when the ax came down.

Tearing them apart once again.

Leaving the ribbons ragged once again.

Forever and always.

**A lingering.**

**Ugly.**

**Reminder.**

Of what could have been.

**The tragic love story of Tsunade and Jiraiya. I've always found their relationship somewhat of a Shakespeare kind of thing, all tragic and sappy, but always inconspicuous. My kind of romance!**

**REVIEW PLEASE!**

**PEACE :P**


	8. Summer Heat

**AN: At first, I wasn't sure what to do with this piece, make it a chapter or turn it into a one-shot...oh decisions, decisions! It ended up being a chapter (obviously), so please enjoy. It's the dynamics of a summer love. Weird, because summer is just getting started down here. Bah, whatever.**

**Disclaimer: nothing of Naruto belongs to me.**

* * *

I think it must have been the awkward dynamics of our relationship that sent it spiraling down the drain. I went over every little thing we did and said, replayed those petty arguments until I could match the pitch of her voice perfectly.

But I just can't put my finger on what happened.

"It's not the sex." She said to me one morning near the end, as she rolled over, nude and just utterly ravishing in the powdery morning light. The way the sun was captured in her whiskey colored eyes, and reflected like mirrors, captivated me to no end. I felt myself nod, barely realizing I was doing so.

"It can't be that." I finally verbalized.

Weeks later, as she twirled a lock of her silken hair, the gold highlights looking polished under the sun, I ran my eyes up and down her body in worship. Her sundress was loose against her body, clinging to her curves in the heat. I stood frozen in the street as I watched her saunter over to me, that irresistible sway in her hips that rocked back and forth with each step just made me weak. Getting a little lost in my tangled raven locks, her fingers wormed their way through, massaging my scalp and playing with my ears.

Then she finally raised her head, those full, luscious lips meeting mine and I dug in for more, drinking every moment she was on me. The skin on the back of my neck prickled, and heat ran up and down my spine.

"It's not the sparks." I breathed to her as she reluctantly pulled away

"I don't think so, either."

Then there would be days where we couldn't stay away from each other. It would just hurt. Long days away would result in the bedroom coming to look like it had been through a hurricane, having taken the beating we'd so desperately been needing to dish out.

I would scoop her up from behind and flood her with kisses. She would stalk over from across the room, eyes hungry and fiery as she tore off my shirt for me and ran her slender fingers over my chiseled front, almost admiring me like an artifact in a museum.

"You know I love you?" She always whisper as her fingers fluttered down my chest, the tips bursting beads of sweat, tracing the tracks they made on my skin. I'd nod, brushing my lips against those soft cheekbones of hers.

"I know I love you."

And finally the end came, rushing in like tidal waves crashing against unforgiving rocks. The sharp, jagged edges shot from each of us, scraping and knocking against the other in an attempt to break something.

"_What is wrong with you?" _She'd shout with angry tears streaking down her face and that beautifully manicured brow knit in confusion. I'd be standing near the corner of the room, feeling that I didn't deserve to be anywhere near her, just holding my breath and trying not to scream.

But everyone knows that never works.

"_Me? It's always me! Nothing is ever wrong with you!" _My shoulders would get tight, the muscles locking so fiercely it hurt.

And it would go on like that for hours if it had to, and most of the time it would. We would end up slamming doors and throwing the others' belongings on the floor, smashing them up into millions of tiny shards.

And in the morning, it would cycle all over again.

It's not the sex.

The sparks were ferocious.

And the love was never lacking.

Under the crisp white sheets, back to back, we both laid there in silence. But no one was sleeping. I'd roll over to meet her back, the skin darkened to an alluring tan from the long days spent in the summer sun. It took everything I had not to touch her, to not feel everything there was to her.

But instead, I'd lie there on my side, watching how her breathing slowly but surely became faster as she woke, and then how it started to shake once she realized I was watching her.

"What happened to us?" And then, from the open window, a bone-chilling breeze washed through the bedroom and lifted up the sheet, revealing even more of her to me.

"Summer died."

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**Another one in the books, hope it was good, please give me feedback as to what I could do to improve anything. Your opinions are super important to me! **

**PEACE :P**


	9. Fallen Angel

**AN: I know I should be working on some of my other stories, but my motivation level is decreasing by the minute. So nothing new for those drabble series. This is a late mother's day thing, or it can be whatever, idk.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine**

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I don't know went wrong, I can't remember when everything just came tumbling down but it must have been bad.

Because I'm counting nine empty bottles around my feet.

I don't think I let one drop hit the floor; that would just be a waste of good alcohol. No, everything went down the hatch, hot and burning and searing away the memories like acid. But nothing felt like enough, no matter how many bottles I emptied, I could still feel those dark, black scenes of the blood and death creeping behind the whites of my eyes.

So I took another swig.

Nine bottles was ten minutes ago, and now I can't see straight enough to count the others I've emptied.

Should I be concerned?

Should I call someone to help me stop?

Naw.

* * *

Ten hours later I wake up with restraint on my wrists and ankles, crisp white hospital sheets covering me from the waist down and a big window in the wall right in front of me.

Great, I'm in the loony bin.

I can hear the voices on the other side of the pane of glass, furiously talking about me most likely.

I lifted my right hand, just to test how tightly they had me confined, and much to my absent surprise, not even an inch gave way.

Shit.

"Whatever it is, I didn't do it!" I knew shouting at them wouldn't get me anywhere, but I was bored, and they were there literally shouting their existence.

Why did people do that? Especially in a hospital when people really needed the peace and quiet, like on soap operas, where everyone crowds into this tiny E.R room, all the women clucking their heads off because the father of their unborn child has just slipped into a mysterious coma, and then everyone starts drinking.

I think that's why I'm here.

But who knows, man. I can barely remember my name.

"Tsunade." That's it.

I could hear the door open and close, some cool air blowing over my face from the other side.

"Are you alright?" Dumb question, doctor. I'm in restraints after what I suppose was a binge drinking trip that must have caused me to pass out naked on some public sidewalk or throw something along the lines of my intestines up and onto some poor guys' lap.

"Do bears shit in the woods?" It was hard craning my neck to be able to see him, but I could tell just by the way he talked that we were not going to be best friends. He sat down in the big chair next to my bed and made eye contact.

Oh god. It's a woman.

"How are you feeling?"

"A tad hung-over, doc." She smiled and nodded, apparently appreciating my humor in the passive-aggressive way shrinks do.

"Well you did have quite the party last night, dear." Dear? Who was she, my grandmother? She didn't even call me dear!

"Do you remember how much you drank?"

"Well, I'm pretty coherent, so it couldn't have been much." Her smile shriveled up into this hard pissy line, and her face took on this mask of solemnity.

"Your teacher counted fourteen empty bottles lying around your passed out body, with the fifteenth lying in your hand half empty." Oh, she was scolding me.

"Please don't tell me he poured it out." She sighed, but I know she wanted to huff, she looks like the kind of lady who would huff at childish things like that.

"He had to resuscitate you twice on the way to the hospital, not to mention the doctors had to shock you back into sinus rhythm another two times once you got here. You were technically dead for over a minute." I started picking at my wrist restraints, hoping the lack of attention would make her give up.

But shrinks are gay that way. They're like hungry dogs; just waiting for you to drop some scrap and then they go ape-shit once something falls on the floor.

"I'll take them off of you if you promise to just answer my questions." Now I sighed, holding back the burp in my chest.

"How many do you have?"

"It all depends on you." I waited there for a second, staring at the ceiling tiles, counting four of them and then rolling my eyes down to watch the window, squinting at the lone shadow behind the dark pane, knowing it was Sarutobi.

"Fine." She stood up, putting her clipboard on her seat and reaching for the strap on my left wrist, undoing it with careful hands.

"Where did you get all the sake?"

"The candy store." She smiled it off, and I had a feeling that was going to get on my nerves in a matter of minutes.

"Did you buy it all at once?" My hand was free and she strode over to the other side of my bed to get to my right.

"Why does it matter?"

"So I can decide if this little episode was premeditated or not. To make sure you're not crazy." She gave me this weird motherly smile as she freed my hand and went to my ankles. I sat up to watch her, quietly scanning the room.

One door: closed and probably has a guard on the other side, ready for me via window man. There was one air vent that was way too small for my ass to get through and the glass could be as thick as a grown mans' hand.

And glass hurts.

"No, not all of it at once, I had some of it back at my house." My left foot was starting to fall asleep just as she made her way to it.

"Why did you do it?" I pulled my feet away from her when they were free, tucking them under me and sitting criss-cross.

"Were you upset about something?"

"You don't have to talk to me like I'm about to explode, lady. I'm a big girl." The doctor nodded, returning to her seat and flipping a page on her clipboard, then focusing her bland brown eyes back on me.

Looking over her again, I just started to comprehend how normal this woman was. She was so civilian, so nondescript I wouldn't be able to pick her out of a crowd.

"Okay then, Tsunade. The kid gloves come off." Like she was about to divulge government secrets, she leaned in close to me, strands of dark brown hair falling from out behind her ears.

"Do you drink to burn away your failures?"

"Who doesn't?"

"What are yours?" God, now she was making me think. With emotions and stuff.

"Not investing in my 401k."

"Your deflections speak louder than your facetious remarks, hun." There she goes with the names again.

"I sense some aggression in you, something you don't like about me."

"Spot on doc, you must get that kind of vibe a lot." I rolled my eyes and laid my head back down on my pillow, my patience starting to thin.

"Do you find me insipid? Because I find you rough and jagged, like you've been broken before."

"I fell out of a tree and broke my arm when I was five."

"So you're insecure about discussing your feelings, that shows me you lack emotional maturity. So you hide behind your temper and drinking to keep prodding people out. It's not the most original thing-"

"Should I take up tap-dancing?" I rolled over to face her, eyes angry as they melted into hers, catching her raised eyebrow at my sudden retort.

"Or do you want me to cry you a river?"

"I want you to talk about why you tried to commit suicide." Wait, backup, suicide? This chick it really out there, I wasn't planning on-

"Tell me how that made you feel."

"A little angry." Sorry, the words left my mouth before I realized it. I've just dropped her a scrap. Dammit.

"Why, because I accused you? Do you not like that?"

"No."

"Why?"

"I don't like having fingers pointed at me." She scribbled that last bit down on her clipboard, tapping the end of her pen against the pad of paper clipped on as she watched me.

"And why is that?" I could feel my brain crunching out ways to get her to shut her mouth, maybe mention the lack of a wedding ring on her finger of maybe the very noticeable face-lift scar adorning the skin under her jaw.

"It just makes me angry?"

"Because the attention annoys you? Are you an introvert?" I heard a soft chuckle coming from the other side of the glass, knowing this had to be the most enjoyable thing in his whole day.

"No, I'm not an introvert. And what does me being bugged by being accused have to do with anything?" Another quick scribble and a flip of the page, muddy eyes scanning the page.

"Does your mother blame you for your younger brother's death?" Bitch, of course she would bring up Nawaki. I gnashed my teeth together until they hurt, refusing to give her that kind of satisfaction.

"Because it says here that you two haven't spoken since his death." She looked to me, searching my face for some kind of an answer. I wanted so bad just to throw something at her, to chuck shards of glass at her face and shove knives down her throat.

"Tsunade?"

"_What?"_ Hissing seemed like the appropriate thing to do, Orochimaru always does it when someone gets on his nerves, and it usually works for him.

Me, not so much.

"Are you blamed for your brothers' death?"

"I don't know."

"Do you think your mother believes you were responsible for not keeping him safe?"

"I don't know."

"Was she angry with you for not being there?"

"I guess."

"Did her being angry with you drive the two of you apart?"

"Yeah."

"Do you miss her?" Oh damn, she got me again. Maybe I should have been a shrink, makes way more money than I do _and _you get to mess with people's heads all day.

But her words were starting to get to me, and it was really annoying.

"We're too mad at each other to be able for us to miss each other."

"I think she would miss you, you are her daughter."

"And Nawaki was her son, but she liked him more than me."

"How do you know?"

"Parents always like the youngest more. It's like some law of the universe." I put my head in my hands and ran my fingers through my hair, twiddling some loose locks.

"I miss her." The doc nodded sagely, scribbling it down and looking back to me, waiting.

"Why? Besides the obvious of her being mom." That really got me thinking, I mean really, what did I miss bout my mom? It was something kids didn't really have to explain, it was just, kind of natural. I mean, you 're just automatically born with this love for your mom that's beyond words.

"I miss her cooking, she made the best ramen and dango." I felt my mouth water at the thought of shoveling that food down my throat, just totally throwing it down.

"Anything else?"

"I miss her smile. She has this really pretty platinum smile that can just lift you from any mood you were in." I felt myself smiling, and I knew she was just eating this up. Crap, I'm giving her what she wants.

"And I miss how she would flick my nose with her finger and hold me when there were bad thunderstorms."

"She'd sing to me during nights when the storms were really bad. She kind of stopped after Nawaki was born." I went off to stare at nothing in particular as her voice swam back into my head, soft and calming, melting away the fear the gripped me with every clap of thunder, every flash of light.

"Do you think she would be upset with you after what you've done?"

"I guess so. I mean, I'm not her, I don't think like she does, so I wouldn't know." She stared at me like she knew there was going to be something more.

"Try thinking like a mother, and try imagining the hurt you would feel if your child tried killing themself."

"I wasn't trying to kill myself, I was just drinking!" Jeeze, was she deaf or something? I think I said that before.

"Whatever you want to call it, do you think she would be upset?"

"Yes! She would because that's my best guess. She'd be upset because she'd have to pay for the funeral and then she'd have to stand around while they put me in the ground and waste her time burying another baby!" Whoa, I'm kind of out of breath now.

Good, I've got her slack jawed a bit, and now she's starting to scribble it all down, probably noting my guilt and mommy issues, and all that jazzy stuff.

"You really think that's how she thinks of you?"

"I don't know, because I just told you I never know what's going on in that head of hers! I don't wanna talk anymore, I'm done." I flopped over so my back was to her, so completely done with her.

There was silence for what seemed like hours, until I heard her shuffling through her papers and tapping her pen on her clipboard.

"I'm not leaving until I decide we're done.

"Have fun sitting in silence then, doc." I started boring holes in the wall before me, completely forgetting about the big window to my left.

"Tsunade, stop being childish." I froze. The voice coming over the speaker was grainy, but it could have never been clearer. I knew it immediately and shot my eyes over to the dark window, now seeing two shadowed figures standing there, one shorted than the other, with a head of wavy hair.

"Darling, please." I was sitting up now, so focused on the figure in the window, knowing it was her, knowing her oceanic blue eyes were staring into my brown, knowing she was trying not to chew on her thumb nail.

"Mom." The tone of my voice was tricky, not sounding much like a question, nor a statement, more like a vocal spasm.

"I don't know where you got those ideas from, but it's not true. None of it." I could hear the tears clogging up in her throat, and I could hear her effort as she tried hiding them from me. Why?

Why?

Why?

Why?

"How long has she been here?" I was basically ready to jump up and rattle the doc's brains if he didn't answer fast enough.

"Long enough to hear you say you think her burying you would be a drag to her day." I looked back to the window; regret filling my face as I stared at my reflection.

"I loved your brother, I still do. And I love you too, Tsunade. You were my first, my little girl, and burying you would absolutely kill me." She was in the doorway, her hand holding her steady on the frame. Just like I thought, those eyes, those deep ocean blue were on me like white on rice, looking over every inch of me.

Blonde hair flowed down her shoulders, curling near the ends and flying wild behind her. She was still so short; I was already a good head taller than her.

"Honey, I could never go a day without you. If I lost you, I'd lose everything."

"Then why didn't you try talking to me?"

"Because I know you, Tsunade. I know you don't like people sharing feelings and expecting you to do the same." She took a step forward, hand resting on her chest over her heart. She always did that when she was nervous, she would rub her chest with her knuckles until the skin was red.

"Mom please."

"And I know you never liked people coming to you and giving comfort, so I stayed away even though it killed me." Now she was standing right in front of me, Miss. Man-shrink was long gone, probably standing outside waiting for the breakthrough.

"Because you were all I had left, and I didn't want to lose you any more than I already had. So I stayed away for you, baby."

She sat down on my bed, hand now long gone from her chest and holding mine, the other smoothing back my hair, her thumb wiping away a tear.

Oh good lord, I was crying. This kind of thing is not allowed.

"I want you to come home and sober up, there's a fresh batch of ramen on the stove waiting for you, and I can make you all the dango you can eat." She smiled, that beautiful smile only my mother can manage, that smile that made me want to be as good as I possibly could just to keep her smiling.

"Come home with me, darling."

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**So there it is, Tsu's mommy came to bail her out of the loony-bin, it's heart warming!**

**PEACE :P**


	10. Faithful Watchman

**AN: Kind of short guys, I know. But I really wanted to update this story, it's actually one of my favorites. So please enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: there are so many things I would have done differently if I owned Naruto. First off, I would have killed off Naruto a long time ago...JK. Or am I?**

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Love is blind.

Love is whimsical.

Love is cruel.

The latter rang true in his heart for years and years. It rattled his bones and picked at his strong muscles until they had turned to pathetic mush. All while she stayed beautiful.

Just looking at her was orgasmic for him; all over her was magic beauty. The way she walked, the tone of her voice as she spoke, her everything made him tingle.

When she started hanging on another man's arm, the tingling turned to boiling anger. It rose in his throat like bile every time he made eye contact with the new boy-toy. Sure he was nice and polite, but – to him – that's not what she needed. Niceties and politeness were beneath her; she needed a man with gusto and promiscuous hands, strong and sturdy hands.

Pretty boy had girl hands.

He wasn't right for _his _blonde goddess.

But he never dare say so whilst he feel her wrath.

So when his death came, it was no surprise as to how he passed.

Under her own healing hands. What a waste of space, he didn't even have the decency to die honorably out of sight of his love. No, no, no. He had to do it right in front of her and scar her for life.

Good job.

Now he was left to pick up the pieces, speck by miserable speck. He'd sit by her and let her sob on his broad shoulder; he bided his time and waited for her to melt all over him for being there.

He waited.

And waited.

Only to watch her leave. Her excuse? '_I can't stay in this place anymore.'_ He offered to come with her, in case she needed someone to talk to. She brushed him off and walked off with the little niece pretty-boy left behind.

"Love is blind," he muttered as he took another drink of his burning alcohol, his nose still full of her scent.

"Love is whimsical," waving goodbye as he toted his little blonde charge.

"Love is cruel."

She bit out bitterly as she leaned against the wall and mourned his death, grinding her teethe together as an unimaginable anger rose in her throat like bile.

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***Sad-face tear drop***

**Woe is me...something angsty to bring this back. :)**


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